CRM is here to stay as businesses seek to improve customer experiences
CRM has been around for a long time, but don't be tempted to think that it's on the way out. Companies are seeing CRM technology as a major part of their digital initiatives in order to improve customer experience.
This is the finding of the latest Gartner market trends report which says that demand for improved customer relationships is driving the expanded integration and use of CRM technology.
2013's malware trends reveal non-Windows systems face greater threats
Threats to Mac OS X, Linux and Android systems have increased over the past year as the malware landscape has evolved.
This is among the findings of Russian antivirus company Doctor Web which has released its annual overview of threats. Other trends include an increase in the number of programs designed to display annoying ads and a surge in the number of Bitcoin and Litecoin mining trojans.
Set up your own personal cloud for free with Tonido
There's a lot to like about cloud backup and sync -- security, for one, and the convenience of being able to access your files remotely for another. But cloud storage can be an expensive option, which is where Tonido comes in.
It provides a trio of tools -- Tonido Desktop and Tonido Sync for desktop, Tonido Mobile for mobile -- that lets you turn your home storage into a personal cloud. So long as your backup needs are catered elsewhere, you can access, share, stream and -- to a limited degree -- sync data without paying a single cent.
Translate any English text on your display with Screen Translator
Translation services from Google, Bing and others mean it's now very easy to translate plain text, and there are a host of apps and browser extensions available to simplify the process further. Translating text embedded in an image requires a little more work, but Screen Translator is an open source tool which may be able to help.
Installation is trickier than it should be, thanks to a setup program which lists some options in English, others in Cyrillic. It's not the most impressive start, but choose to install everything (which is safe, there's no adware here) and setup proceeds with no other problems.
Who's your daddy? Google voice dialling lets you call and text family with ease
You know how sometimes it just seem like too much hassle to scroll through your contact list to place a call or send a text to someone? Well, no more! There's no need to update your app, but Google's Search tool for Android has been enhanced with a new voice-dialing feature. The app now lets you use phrases such as "OK, Google, call mom" or "OK, Google, send a text to dad" you can... well... place a call to your mom or compose a text message to send to your dad.
Before you start panicking that Google has started spying on your family and is now aware of the relationships you have with each of your contacts, fret not! This is not an entirely automated feature -- you will need to specify which of your contacts is your mom, your dad, and so on. If you try to call your mother using the vocal command before having set up your relationship, you will be prompted to choose which of your contacts gave birth to you -- on subsequent utterances, the call will be placed straight away.
Dropbox joins Twitter, says new transparency rules are not enough
While several companies have been busy posting new transparency reports, based on recent changes in US law, not everyone has been content with what has transpired. Last week, Twitter stood up and called the reform, essentially, too little and far too late. That sentiment likely echos the feelings of many US citizens.
However, the social service isn't the only one taking this stand. Today it is joined by cloud storage darling Dropbox. "We believe everyone has a right to know how much information the government is seeking from online services. This lets users fight back against improper requests, helps prevent abuses of power, and allows for a more informed public debate", states the company's Bart Volkmer.
Cha-ching! Microsoft brings Bitcoin to Bing!
As the world of technology evolves, so does money. People are paying for things using their smartphones and shunning cash. However, while services like Google Wallet use standard currencies, a new type has emerged from the depths of the internet -- Bitcoin.
This relatively new virtual currency is all the rage, being accepted at many businesses, including the Sacramento Kings -- an NBA franchise. If that isn't mainstream, I do not know what is. Today, Microsoft announces that it too is getting cozy with Bitcoin, by way of Bing.
Schooled by Linux -- 1,700 students get Ubuntu laptops
Linux is everywhere; from mobile phones to web servers. Even Chromebooks run Linux. Ironically, Chrome OS is a poor platform for actually learning about the open-source kernel. This is because Google's OS is limited by design. And so, it does not behave like a typical Linux distribution.
Instead, students would be better served by using a true Linux distribution, such as Ubuntu, Fedora or Mageia. With that said, a forward thinking school in Pennsylvania has done just that. Penn Manor High School has purchased 1,700 laptops running Ubuntu.
ScreenTabs -- extend your PC with two virtual desktops
The Windows desktop is a great place to work, when you're running two or three programs. Launch 10, 20, maybe 30, and life becomes rather more difficult. Application windows are everywhere, taskbar buttons become tiny, even Alt+Tab becomes awkward to use.
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be this way. Install ScreenTabs and the program will equip your system with two extra virtual desktops, giving you three in total. Each one gives you a fresh start -- an empty taskbar, no visible application windows -- and switching between them is as easy as clicking a tab on the left side of your screen.
Radio Search Engine rocks
Growing up in Northern Maine, where the winters are long and the nights bitterly cold, I obsessively listened to the radio. During darkness, AM signals skip hundreds, sometimes thousands, of kilometers. WRKO in Boston, 650 km south, back when the station played music, was a fav -- and WKBW in Buffalo, N.Y. My passion for radio led me to hitchhike, at 17, with a friend to the Federal Communications Commission office in Boston to test for a Third Class license. I would need one to be a radio disc jockey. I flunked, so we hitchhiked a second time. Success!
My radio passion remains. Before the Internet, I used a Grundig Shortwave receiver to listen to news and cultural programs from around the world. Many worldband stations are silent now, choosing to stream on the Internet instead. Domestic radio remains popular, however. For example, according to new Nielsen data released last week, 242 million Americans listen to radio, which reaches more than 90 percent of every age group. Sixty-five-million Americans 18-34 years old listen to radio, spending an average 11.5 hours each week. That's right. The Pandora generation.
Windows 8.1 Update 1 lacks the one thing that could save the troubled OS -- a Start menu
Yesterday I wrote about the forthcoming Windows 8.1 Update 1 and called it a "Frankenstein product stitched together with compromises". My view was based on my experiences with a leaked build of the OS. I didn’t realize, at the time of writing, that others were saying the same things, or that the update was being so roundly criticized online (I try to form my own opinions based on experience rather than get them second-hand).
Since then I’ve read numerous articles on the subject, and ploughed through hundreds of comments, and the general consensus of opinion is that Windows 8.1 Update 1 is, at best pointless, and at worst, a disaster. That seems a little unfair, seeing as the finished version isn’t even out yet, but that’s been the story of the tiled OS since the very beginning -- people haven’t been willing to give it a chance.
CryptoLocker ransomware is flourishing
The number of CryptoLocker infections is rising, causing problems for administrators and potentially raising millions of dollars for the malware authors behind it.
Security awareness training firm KnowBe4 says it's seeing a rise in the number of complaints about CryptoLocker as users are tricked into opening attachments and infecting their workstations.
GoGrid simplifies moving to big data
Big data is something that many companies are keen to exploit, but implementing big data solutions involves a number of hurdles.
Open Data Services specialist GoGrid is aiming to make the move to big data easier with its launch of 1-Button Deploy technology.
Google Nexus 7 soon available at Verizon
The second Google Nexus 7 tablet launched in mid-2013 with vast 4G LTE band support, that includes the Verizon cellular network. The mobile operator's customers, however, were unable to activate their new slates as Big Red revealed the device had to pass its certification process first, which was expected to be complete four to six weeks after it began in August, and be enabled for use on its cellular network afterwards.
Needless to say, Verizon's estimate was highly inaccurate as the mobile operator has only just announced the arrival of the second Nexus 7, with 4G LTE connectivity on board, in its slate portfolio. As some might say, better late than never, although the excitement has long since worn off. Here is what you need to know.
Point.io makes accessing enterprise data easier regardless of platform
We looked at the launch of the Point.io backend as a service (BaaS) platform last year and explained how it could help companies retain control of their data in the era of BYOD.
The company is now making it easier to enable fast, secure data links with the launch of APIdoc, a single point of access for all file sharing and storage technologies.
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